It’s not what it was – nope, it’s better
“It’s not what it was” is an oft-heard comment about the bet365 Gold Cup run at Sandown on what is now the last day of the jump season. Indeed, many of those making the...
Category: Of Course
Mike Deasy’s racing column.
Bookmakers putting their foot in it again
The dust had barely settled on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals having their maximum stake reduced from £100 to £2 when a couple of betting shop operators introduced new games that were so close in...
Racecourses should make more of the humble racecard to promote the sport
As every business knows, or should know, it is easier and cheaper to keep your existing customers than it is to attract new ones. It is something racecourses must be aware of and there...
Dim response from Gambling Commission over BetBright
“It is what it is” said Rich Ricci, fronting up to grillings on TV at Cheltenham from Lydia Hislop and Alice Plunkett. But it shouldn’t have been. Just over a week before this year’s...
BHA failing in the equine welfare debate
It’s not long since these scribblings called for a robust response to those who campaign against racing using equine fatalities on racecourses to further their argument. The tenet of the proposed response was to...
Racing prize-money: a right old pickle
Racing has got itself into a right old pickle over its finances and the impact this will have on prize-money. First, bookmakers installed fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) into its shops, and opened more...
No complaints about the BHA’s equine flu action
The BHA is no stranger to coming under fire, and a few salvos have come from this direction. But, with the outbreak of equine flu and the decision to suspend racing, these scribblings are...
Facing up to the reality of racehorse fatalities
I think it fair to say that when the number of equine fatalities on racecourses in 2018 was recently announced by the BHA, it was to be expected that the RSPCA would comment on...
TV racing: new names, same old annoyances
We have seen name changes to the specialist channels covering racing, but the same old bugbears continue to annoy. Various presenters on the racing channels should stop believing that they are God’s gift to...
The Sun betting on new racing venture
These scribblings noted recently that The Sun has been active in the past few weeks in race sponsorship under the handle of Sun Racing, and it continues to be the case that barely a...